A station may establish a connection to a communications network to perform a variety of different functionalities. The communications network may be a WiFi network that operates under standards as defined by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) such as 802.11a/b/g/n/ac. The station may initially associate with an access point of the WiFi network to join a Basic Service Set (BSS) of the WiFi network. Once the station joins the WiFi network, the station may communicate with other stations connected to the WiFi network, other network components, and/or other networks (e.g., Internet).
The data connectivity connection between the station and the WiFi network may utilize a physical layer rate that is a transmission speed for incoming data for the station. There is generally a trade off between using different (e.g., higher or lower) physical layer rates. A higher physical layer rate may enable data to be exchanged in a relatively faster manner compared to a lower physical layer rate. However, a lower physical layer rate may be more robust since the slower transmission speed may ensure that the incoming data is properly received. Whereas, a higher physical layer rate may pose a higher risk of data loss. Typically, there is a preference for higher physical layer rates. Therefore, the WiFi network may initially attempt to use these higher physical layer rates even when the station is incapable of supporting this rate under current network conditions being experienced by the station.